This Way Out; 29

My name is Lucia Chappelle, and I'm Greg Gordon, and we produce this way out, the International Lesbian and Gay Radio Magazine. It's very important to support this kind of radio station because this kind of radio station is the only kind of radio station that's going to provide programming for a significant audience like gay men and lesbians. Commercial stations would be afraid to lose their listeners if they didn't apologize for the gay lesbian lifestyle and not just report on it. Unlike commercial stations, community radio does not depend upon advertising to support itself, to pay the bills, to keep the transmitter going, to pay the light bills. It's you the listener at home, and that's why periodically community radio stations all over the country go on the air and ask you to support the station by pledging to support the station with your dollars. Community radio in short is just a real valuable resource for you and for me, so take advantage of it and support it. The quilt served as a

centerpiece of four days of AIDS awareness, fundraising and action events that all focused on the humanity behind the AIDS epidemic. If anything, if a good came out of this, was because we got to know Perry's friends and love them. The FDA spends most of its time defending charges that it's not doing enough, instead of figuring out what to do. I know that it takes nine months to test a drug in Europe, in Belgium, in France, in Germany and England, for both safety and efficacy. I want to know why it takes five to ten years in this country. Welcome to this way out, the International Gay and Lesbian Radio Magazine. I'm Lucia Chappelle, and I'm Greg Gordon. AIDS activists shut down the U .S. Food and Drug Administration. A much larger names project AIDS quilt returns to the Capitol. As thousands commemorate last year's National March on Washington for lesbian and gay rights. All that and even more.

Now that you've discovered this way out. I'm Sandy Dwyer, and I'm Tony Sullivan. With NewsRap, a summary of some of the news in and affecting the gay and lesbian community. Good news for people in the United States with AIDS who are receiving AZT treatment. On the afternoon of September 30th, literally hours before the federal subsidy for AZT for low income people with AIDS was due to expire, Congress approved renewed funding. The legislation however only extends the continued subsidy for AZT for another six months. Michael DeCarcus, U .S. Democratic presidential nominee, has announced his opposition to a California ballot initiative which is also opposed by gay and lesbian and AIDS activist groups, as well as many of the state's medical authorities. Proposition 102 would allow businesses to test employees for HIV

infection and to fire them if they show positive, permit insurance companies to test applicants and deny health coverage if they test positive, and would require the reporting of names of anyone suspected of being HIV positive to the State Department of Health. Speaking before the second annual conference on AIDS in San Francisco, Kitty Dwyer, the candidate's wife called Proposition 102, quote, a dangerously misguided attempt by politicians to deal with the AIDS crisis. She said that it was time to declare war on the virus, not on the people it has infected. With less than a month to go before the November 8th general elections, most polls suggest the Proposition 102, sponsored by homophobic U .S. congressman William Danemeyer, will be approved by California voters. The United States Centers for Disease Control awarded a grant of over $200 ,000 to the National Association of Black and White Mint Together. The funds are to be used for AIDS prevention work directed to Black Gays in 22 cities. Black and White Mint Together

was the only gay organization out of 31 minority organizations to receive funding under the newly created National AIDS Minority Education Program. The Yugoslavia and Lesbian Group, La Biska Sequija, in Lubiana, is becoming more open about their activities. They are now distributing a new publication, Les Bozine, and a planning and lesbian film festival and a gay and lesbian celebration. The Soviet Union newspaper Trude reported the country's first known death due to AIDS complications. So far, Soviet officials acknowledged that they have identified 83 HIV infected persons, but only one has developed AIDS. The 29 -year -old pregnant woman who died of pneumonia was described as a prostitute catering to foreigners. The newspaper is considering publishing the woman's photograph to alert any of her possible sexual contacts. And finally, officials of Australia's 1988 World Expo were in a quandary.

They were looking for a spokesperson, but their problem was solved when they discovered 105 -year -old Erica Morley Panshorn, the only living Australian who is known to have attended the 1888 Exposition held in Melbourne. Much to their dismay, but to the gay and lesbian community's joy, Panshorn came out publicly as a lesbian. In an interview with a gay and lesbian publication, she told the reporter that she was aware of her feelings towards women since she was six years old. The same year, she won a prize for her handiwork at the 1888 Exposition. When the officials called her to find out more, she bluntly told them that if they wanted to look into her private life, they could go to pot. It's indecent of them, she said, and none of their business. That's NewsRap for this week. Remember, an informed community is a strong community. Find out what's happening in your area by reading your local gay and lesbian publication. NewsRap was written by Sandy Dwyer of the news, serving the greater Los Angeles area, with contributions from other gay and lesbian

publications throughout the world. For this way out, I'm Sandy Dwyer, and I'm Tony Sullivan. Stay tuned for a special report on the recent events commemorating the anniversary of last year's National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. After this installment of this way out's review of highlights from that historic demonstration. Dan Bradley, former Carter administration staff member, spoke on behalf of persons with AIDS to the record -breaking crowd at the Capitol Mall on October 11, 1987. As we participate in this historical march, we're all aware of the tragic reality of the AIDS epidemic. All of us have been touched by the death of a lover or a close friend. Countless thousands of us have already died. Incountless more of us, now face the illnesses suffering and death.

At a time when our president fails to provide leadership, and in a time when our government does too little and too late, the gay and the lesbian community has provided leadership, funds and organizations to fight this threat to our very lives. We are now leading the fight against AIDS, and we're giving support, compassion and love to those of us who are ill. Shortly, my friends, the events surrounding this March on Washington will be over. All of us will return to our respective homes and our jobs, our lovers, and our daily lives. But as we leave Washington, we do so with a renewed commitment and a renewed determination to continue the march that began at Stonewall in the march that brings us to Washington today. I'm gay and

I'm proud. I'm gay and I'm proud. Thank you very, very much. I'm my lonely friend. Don't give up on a dream. Don't you let it end? Carry on my sweet survivor. You've carried it so long, so we've made come again. Carry on. Carry on. Carry on. Dan Bradley died of complications due to AIDS on January 8, 1988, but the commitment of which he spoke still survives. The mushrooming AIDS crisis and the increasing public outcry was evidenced by the size of the name's project quilt when it was returned

to Washington one year after the march. The fledgling project piecing together tributes in fabric to lives lost to AIDS began in the late Harvey Milk's last camera shop. The quilt, as the San Francisco project became known, returned to Washington five times larger than a year ago when it graced a two -block stretch of the mall. Founder Cleve Jones revealed that portions of the heroic and moving enterprise have been purchased by the Smithsonian Institution for permanent display. And the quilt will tour the globe to commemorate World AIDS Day December 1st. Last year said Jones, the quilt was a symbol of our pain and our grief. Now it represents a symbol of our determination. Drama critic Bob Mandello said the display of more than 8 ,200 rectangle panels is arguably the century's most overwhelming, certainly its most heartbreaking work of art. Instantly it became a way for people to deal with tragedy that other media reduced to numbers, acronyms, and body counts. Mandello said. Amy Pittman traveled from North Carolina with her daughter Amy to visit the

panel sewn in memory of her son, Perry, who died of AIDS in December of 1986. Just one month before his 40th birthday. Nobody had made a panel for Perry and Perry had a lot of friends and I thought it was kind of a shame that one hadn't been done yet. Perry's longtime friend, Garth Wall, is responsible for making this panel. But because he didn't know how to sew, he has Scott Lagos, a friend working at the names project in San Francisco to help. Scott, who was originally from Georgia, never knew Perry Pittman and until this moment had never met Perry's mother or his sister. This is Perry's sister Amy. Hi Amy, how are you? When Garth told me that he was from Georgia, I said, oh let me help make a panel. Perry's mother, Peggy Pittman. You know, we all said my sister -in -law Florence and my daughter Amy and I, who stayed to turn, staying in Atlanta while he was sick. We all said, if anything, if a good came out of this was because we got to know Perry's friends and meet them and know them and love them. Amy and her mother are

acutely aware of how those with AIDS are stigmatized in this country and she says she's hard pressed to understand how families shun one of their own. You know, we're from the south and we are from very conservative, small towns and I think people were probably shocked and so amazed that Peggy Pittman's son had AIDS and Amy Kitchen's brother had AIDS and we didn't go around broadcast and had a stand on any kind of ban box but we weren't afraid to tell people. Amy says she and her mother helped educate their community about AIDS by not hiding Perry's sickness. This was so pretty. This was real sick. Thank you. Thank you. For Pacifica, I'm Tara Sila reporting. The U .S. Park Service estimated 15 ,000 people viewed the quilt the first day. Close to that number at night walked with candles in hand

from the ellipse behind the White House to the mall around the reflecting pool past the Vietnam vestige on to the Lincoln Memorial and a Saturday night vigil led by parents whose children have died from the dreaded affliction. The quilt served as a centerpiece of four days of AIDS awareness, fundraising and action events that all focused on the humanity behind the AIDS epidemic. Lesbian and gay bans and choruses plus individuals such as Kathy Fink and Michael Callan performed from the quilt concert. A national teaching and leadership conference on AIDS activism were held. Gay and Lesbian lobbyists read report cards to their representatives in Congress for the third year. And International Film Festival premiered several movies here. And a new drama more than names by San Francisco playwright David Limos showed how people manage a motion to survive. A poignant photo exhibit depicting the rage, resilience and raw emotion of a hidden population women with AIDS by documentarian and Meredith graced the Collector Westrite. To demonstrate that

the 1987 March continues a rally in live and depart circle celebrating a year of progress and action after the largest civil rights march in U .S. history. At Kennedy Center of Sunday afternoon playwright Harvey Firestein, director John Slesinger, writer Fran Lieberwitz and others joined Edward Albee and attribute to performers and artists to have died of AIDS. Said Albee, I've been seeing signs with pink triangles saying silence is death. That's why I'm here. And the nation's capital for this way out, this is John Z reporting. The weekends events were capped off by a civil disobedience action at the Food and Drug Administration. My name is Irvishy that I am media director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. And I was a member of the media team for the act now demonstration at the Food and Drug Administration. They were approximately 1200 to 1500 persons participating in the demonstration. Individuals from 15 different states participated, states such as Illinois,

Georgia, Ohio, Texas. We had individuals from Alabama, Arizona. In addition to large contingents from New York, California, Massachusetts. AL721 is one of over 100 drugs that AIDS activists want the FDA to approve for use in the United States. Currently, AZT is the only federally approved AIDS treatment drug available. But AZT has severe side effects, which means not all people with AIDS can use it. In addition, its high cost about $1 ,000 a month makes AZT off limits to many. Vida Russo, a writer from New York with AIDS, says the FDA could easily make more drugs available for trial tests. I know that there are drugs that are available, 80 drugs that haven't been tested yet by the FDA. I know that it takes nine months to test a drug in Europe, in Belgium,

in France, in Germany, in England, for both safety and efficacy. I want to know why it takes five to ten years in this country to test drugs that you can test in Europe in half the time, a quarter of the time, in a third of the time. The FDA action had 14 specific demands. And they range from a demand that placebo trials not be done on HIV positive individuals. In other words, that people with HIV not be given placebos when they participate in trials. People who are facing deaths don't want to be receiving placebos. Demands that all drug trials be open to the entire range of persons affected by the disease. Gay men, lesbians, people of color, heterosexual men, women, IV drug users, and children. There was a demand about streamlining the process and coordinating drug trials in a better way than the FDA right now does. There were a lot of very specific and thoughtful demands, and a lot of research that went into developing these demands,

particularly from people in ACT UP NEW YORK, ACT UP TANFRAIN CISCO, who have been involved in these issues for a number of years. The overall demand is that the FDA develops a mechanism to make experimental drugs available more quickly to people with AIDS and HIV infection. As an alternative to ACT, AIDS patients often buy drugs illegally or receive them through the mail. This is not a help to the babies in Harlem Hospital who are not going to start corresponding four times a year with Japanese pharmaceutical companies. And Northrop is with New York ACT UP, a coalition of groups that organized today's demonstration. Or to the women in the South Bronx who are taking care of their infected babies and their infected husbands that are infected themselves. And then they call this giving us the drugs. This is utter garbage. But the FDA says it is moving faster. Earlier this year, the agency's commissioner, Frank Young, announced that some drugs would be made available more quickly for treatment on a trial basis. Doug McLaren is an FDA spokesperson. The FDA has approved drugs and diagnostic

sprays in record time. We're committed to continuing that as soon as any products are shown to be safe and effective. I think there are legitimate concerns about safety. But what we're saying is we don't want to sacrifice safety standards. And we don't want to sacrifice rigorous review of drugs before their license for the marketplace. But while a drug is still being studied and still in the experimental phases, it can still be valuable to a person with a life -threatening illness. And that person needs to be able to make an informed choice that, okay, based on what I know about this drug, I'm going to take it even though I don't know if it's going to be effective. And then second, they need to be able to have easier access to these experimental therapies. What people don't understand is that FDA is only one part of the drug development process. We don't find or develop drugs. We regulate the development. Everybody recognizes there are other agencies involved. That's not the point. The point is what is the FDA doing and what is it not

doing? We certainly know that NIH does the clinical drug trials and we have a whole set of concerns about NIH. We know the Department of Health and Human Services is involved in all sorts of AIDS work. And we have concerns about that department. But when we were at the FDA, we were raising issues with them that they need to address and they need to take on and they can't pass the buck, which they continually do. They are masters at PR lines and bringing their hands and saying, oh, we do care. We really do care. We're on your side. Well, words aren't enough. They've got to start doing more. For example, tell me why the FDA has not convened a meeting of pharmaceutical companies, of individuals from the ACTUP, an AIDS activist community, from the gay community, from the scientific research community and the government to say, why isn't this process working? How can we make it work better? They haven't even done that to our knowledge. That doesn't cost the money. That doesn't require more staff. It's just simple, common sense. And the FDA spends most of its time defending charges

that it's not doing enough instead of figuring out what to do. Today's demonstration lasted through most of the day. Police wore clear plastic rubber gloves instead of the usual bright yellow ones. Rebecca Davis, Pacifica News, Washington. This is Banks Wilkinson from the Alternating Currents program on WAIF Cincinnati. And I was one of the three people arrested from Cincinnati at the FDA Civil Disobedience October 11th. One thing that caused a huge outburst of applause was when one of the affinity groups, they had made this huge banner that says, the federal death administration instead of food and drug. And they taped this over the normal entrance to the building. And what we did, we actually, our group was the first group arrested, which is not what we planned at all. The police line was in the middle of the street. There were people picketing in a circle. And

we thought that that was safe area to pick it in, but actually it wasn't. So we planned on having a small die -in. So we decided to push through the circle of picketers and actually we had thought of in advance to have sheets to cover us up, cover up our bodies. That's what we did. We didn't think they would have arrested us at this point, but we were fully prepared so it was no problem. And another reason why we didn't think we were first is that we thought maybe other people would have been arrested by this point, because each affinity group had the right to do whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted. All that they requested was that you tell one of the protest organizers before. 176 have been arrested, and the 176 who were arrested have all been released. Almost all were given a ticket for loitering, and it's a sort of a nominal fine. Most of us weren't limp, at least until we got to the bus. They took us to a gymnasium that had been converted for their purposes

for that day. We were photographed twice along the way, right before you get on to the bus at the FDA, and then once again in the high school gymnasium. They had to stand me up because I was not cooperating until they had put me onto the bus, and the handcuffs were the plastic kind that you pull, which are designed to be painful. And you would think that it would hurt because your handcuffs behind your back, and then if you go limp, they pull on your shoulders, which even pulls it even further, has the effect of pulling your hands even further behind you. But there was just so much adrenaline that you don't feel it till later. On the bus, after we had gotten to the gymnasium area, we were still on the bus, and one of the sheriffs came on, and his name was Dooley, and he started out with the spiel about, you know, we've heard stories about you, and you've heard stories about us, and then he ended up by saying that if one of us spits on him, he'll break our nose. Actually, he said, if you spit on me,

I'll break your handcuffs, and you know this, but you know, won't be able to play that a bit. And one other note about the bus is that our bus driver was definitely on our side. She had nothing to do with the police. In fact, she ended up by wearing two solids equals death stickers on her chest. They processed us by taking us one at a time off the bus. They were asked us your name, or your vital statistic, your sister's security number. We were told to bring our IDs if we wanted to get out. Although as it turned out, that wasn't necessary. They ended up taking two most shots. Then we were kept for the six -hour period. We were restricted to one section of the gymnasium, although there were portulets and tanks of water. People with AIDS wanted mats and blankets, because it was cold. When we left at three o 'clock, they still had not been given blankets, but they had mats by this point. My name is David Barr.

I'm a staff attorney at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, and I was one of the coordinators of the legal support for the now -demonstration at the Food Drug Administration on October 11th. There were a number of confrontations with police, where there was an awful lot of shoving. A number of demonstrators were roughed up. A couple of them were actually hit with clubs on several occasions. Some of the police, maybe half of them wore rubber gloves, which upset the demonstrators, a great deal. There was a serious problem of police officers taking off main plates and taking off badges so that we weren't able to identify them. One demonstrator was charged with assaulting an officer during a competition near the end of the day. That occurred when police came in and moved a line of demonstrators out of the street so that they could clear the streets for a bus to pass. There was no reason to think that this demonstrator assaulted an officer. If anything, it was the officer who'd moved into the crowds with their clubs swinging

at the time. He was given a bail of $750 and released after he paid the bail. There were no serious injuries that we went to the hospital, nobody had a broken head. People could get roughed up a bit, and it was kind of scary. Overall, I think, as a force, the police did a good job in trying to control the situation. It wasn't a federal force. It was the local police force. Montgomery County police had a balance. The problems came from specific officers, I think, and not from police command, just specific officers who rough control it, as things got tense. As it turned out, the bail money or the punishment or the fine was only $25, whereas we had expected it would be 100. Each affinity group voted whether or not to leave after we were informed that we could do so. A lot of people wanted to make sure that the other CDers who might be charged with higher sentences or with more offenses, they wanted to make sure that these people

would have support. Plus, a lot of the people wanted to stay to make sure that the people with AIDS were not left alone. More so than any other movement that I can think of, this movement is just based on everything that we can do will save lives. To protest, there were many parts of it that were a lot angrier than, let's say, the Supreme Court CD, because this is a matter of life and death for so many people. And it is just great to see all this togetherness, all this solidarity in the face of this epidemic. Thanks for choosing this way out, the International Lesbian

and Gay Radio Magazine. This week, Tony Sullivan and Sandy Dwyer, John Zay, Tara Siler and Rebecca Davis contributed feature material. Peter Paul and Mary and the Jefferson Airplane performed the music you heard and Kim Wilson composed and performed our theme music. Satellite distribution of this way out is made possible through a grant from the Chicago Resource Center. We'd like to hear from you with any comments, suggestions or questions that you might have addressed to this way out. Post Office Box 38327 Los Angeles, California 90038. That's Post Office Box 38327 Los Angeles, California 90038 USA. This way out is produced by Greg Gordon and Lucia Chappelle and we thank you for listening on KZSC Santa Cruz. WRUW Cleveland and CFRO Vancouver and for supporting this local community radio station. Now y 'all stay tuned.